It was a perfect summer afternoon. The hot sun was shining, and the breeze was calm. Everything was lining up for a great fishing trip on the FishBilly Charters out of Fishtown, captained by Bill Stephenson and his wife, Barbie. I was joined by my amazing colleagues from the Fishtown Preservation team, Amanda and Summer. […]
I’ve been a frequent visitor of Fishtown my whole life, though I never realized how important the fishing industry and aquatic ecosystem is to this place until I became an intern at Fishtown Preservation. While I know that Fishtown’s deepest roots are fishing, today the town has evolved into more than a fishing village. Over […]
Hello Fishtown, my name is Luke Stephenson. I am this Summer’s 2024 intern with Fishtown Preservation Society. I am currently a senior at Trinity Christian College majoring in Business Communications with a minor in Entrepreneurship. My journey towards learning about Fishtown goes back a couple of decades, but it truly began with Leland. The Leland […]
Leland became the Lake Michigan port for an iron smelting furnace in 1870. Chosen for its proximity to the iron port of Escanaba and abundance of hardwood, the region altered drastically during the construction of the new furnace. As workers flooded the area, the village of Leland needed to expand in order to accommodate the […]
We are pleased to present our Fishtown Video, featuring YOU! We asked for recent and special photos and received over 500 submissions, featuring everything from glimpses of summer 2020 to treasured family memories spanning decades. One thing is certain, Fishtown is a place that lights up faces. Your smiles are contagious. Thank you to everyone […]
The Friends of Fishtown 5K (Virtual) July 17-31, 2021 Our 13th annual race for Fishtown will be a virtual event, allowing participants to practice physical distancing while safely uniting in support of Fishtown. All proceeds go toward preserving historic Fishtown—the place, the stories and the Leland fishing tradition. Join us virtually to Run the Race-Preserve […]
By Claire Kurnick ~ FPS Intern 2019 Since the age of five I have joined my family for the packed car ride north from suburban Detroit to enjoy the bliss and peace of summers in Leland. After my parents divorce, my mother wanted to leave Bloomfield Hills and move north, but it wasn’t until she […]
Fishtown Preservation completed the Fishtown mortgage on February 7, 2019! In celebration, we declared February 7–16, 2019 ~ Love Fishtown Week! The shanty rooftops were relit* with the addition of a big red heart from February 7 through February 16. On Thursday, February 14, 2019, we celebrated this important milestone in Fishtown. We offered tributes, […]
Fishtown volunteer, singer-songwriter Steve Lindo surprised us by writing a song about Fishtown, and created and shared his video: Click here to watch video!
It was late November 2015, and Joy was heading inland for the latest round of maintenance and improvements Fishtown Preservation has undertaken over the past ten years
